This past Sunday was the 25th annual Los Angeles Marathon and also the debut of a new route dubbed “From the Stadium to the Sea.”  Runners raced from Dodgers Stadium through downtown Los Angeles all the way to the beach at Santa Monica Pier.  Organizers hoped to give participants a more interesting route that covered many of L.A.’s landmarks.

One of those landmarks included Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame which so happens to be where I live.  I had a great view of the marathon from my balcony and snapped a few pictures and some video clips.

It was a lot more fun than I expected.  The energy and enthusiasm of both runners and spectators were contagious and I was often cheering and waving back at people.  At some point, Tim decided to point his powerful speakers out the window and started blasting the theme from Rocky:

The effect it had on people was awesome! As soon as runners heard the theme, they perked up, cheered and smile. Many people raised their arms in the air while jogging while others started shadow-boxing. I got a huge thrill every time a large group of people cheered in unison, picked up their pace, and starting running to the music. We had it on loop and it just made me feel so good to see what a positive effect it was having on racers. It was during a perfect spot in the race too, right after a “pick-me-up” station that was handling out water bottles and orange slices.

Towards the end of the race, when the crowd got really thin, Tim decided to change the music. I cannot believe he did this and I thought it was a bit mean, but surprisingly, most people got a kicked out of it. He switched to the Chariots of Fire theme. I didn’t know what this was by name, but immediately recognized it once he played it. To me, it’s usually used in comedies when the protagonist and antagonist both spot something at the same time and make a dash to get to it first. Then you see them running in slow motion making silly punches and grabs at each other. Here, take a listen and you’ll see what I mean:

I could barely stand to see people’s reactions, but many laughed and started running in exaggerated slow motion themselves. One guy even said sincerely “Thanks for the inspiration!” though I think there was one lady that perhaps felt uncomfortable upon hearing it. That’s Tim and his twisted sense of humor.

He didn’t play it long and soon the street cleaners were upon us sweeping away discarded orange peels and water bottles.

I had a great time and hope they keep this route for next year!

Below are some videos and photos. My favorites include the costumed runners (as Stitch, Kermit, and a PedEx truck).

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